Refugees Gain From New Legal Aid Funding

The NDP government says the federal government has come through with short-term funding to ensure refugees in BC can continue to access legal aid.

It allows the Legal Services Society to maintain services for immigrants and refugees through the middle of November.

Attorney-General David Eby says “Legal aid and equal access to justice for all in British Columbia is a top priority for me and for Premier Horgan.”

“We appreciate the work of Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould who secured additional short-term federal funding which provides a solution at least until the fall. I will be monitoring this file very closely in the weeks ahead.”

Sustained federal support for provincial legal aid programs for refugees will be one of the topics for discussion at the upcoming meeting of federal, provincial and territorial justice and public safety ministers that B.C. will host in September.

This year, the Legal Services Society had an original budget of $1.7 million for immigration and refugee services.

Of that total, $900,000 is from the federal government and $800,000 from the Province of British Columbia.